TOEFL TPO -1 Writing Task 2 Sample: Professor: Humans live in the environment, depending on it as well. We need everything from the environment: food, clothing, medicine, and the list goes on. As the economy develops, we humans are struggling to strike a balance between the economy and the environment. Before the next class, I want you to talk about the following question: Should we slow down economic development to protect the environment? Claire: I think economic development comes before the environment. If people cannot live well enough, they would ensure their survival even at the cost of the environment. Especially in less developed areas, when the slow economic growth can hardly meet people's basic needs, the environment would be at stake. To be more specific, people need food and products to support themselves and their families. When they are short of proper supplies of living essentials, it is understandable that they would grow food and manufacture products to survive, even at the cost of the environment. They are not the ones to blame because survival is the priority of everybody. In this case, the culprit of the worsening environment is the backward economy in such underdeveloped areas. Paul: I still think that the top priority is the environment. Without the environment and everything it has been and will be providing for humans, we cannot even exist, not to mention boosting the economy! For the long-term development and prosperity of human society, we should realize the significance of environmental protection and slow down the economy to better preserve animals, plants, and our planet Earth. Only by protecting the environment can humans and human civilization go a long way. • LingoLeap